KOTH-Timer

A DIY Arduino Nano ESP32 King of the Hill timer for Nerf, foam flinging, skirmish games, and objective-based events.

KOTH-Timer is an open-source physical game timer with arcade buttons, TM1637 displays, battery monitoring, and a local phone-friendly referee/admin web interface. It is designed for two-team King of the Hill games where players physically hold a button to capture the objective.

This project is based on a working timer that has been tested successfully at local Nerf events. A few people in the hobby scene asked how to build their own, so this exists to make that possible

The goal is to keep it practical, buildable, and easy to modify.

What It Does

KOTH-Timer is a physical objective timer for two-team King of the Hill style games.

Players press their team’s button to capture the objective. The timer tracks control time and shows the game state through:

• Large physical displays
• Button LED feedback
• A local referee/admin web interface

The timer runs locally from the ESP32, so it does not need internet access during gameplay.

Here is a clip from one of our members on a game day with the timer in use: